Automatic relief-valve for steam-heating systems.



A. MOWELL.

AUTOMATIC RELIEF VALVE FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS,

vAll?!IIIUA'LION FILED APE. 28.1909.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY,

relief of the steam and air.

AUGUSTUS MOWELL, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC RELIEF-VALVE FOR STEAM-HEATING SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Application filed April 28, 1909. Serial No. 492,712.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS MownLL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Paterson, Passaic county, New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Relief-Valves for Steam- Heating Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic relief valves for steam-heating systems, and particularly to that class of such valves which are designed to take care of the relief of the water of condensation as well to control the In these devices the uniform purpose is to provide an adequate outlet for the air and steam which shall be so limited as not to allow a wasteful escape of the latter. This has heretofore been accomplished by trapping the water of condensation and using it to buoy up or move a float or the like which, during the steamand air-flowing periods allows limited escape of air and steam, and during the water-flowing periods opens an adequate escape for the water, which escape is closed when the water-flow has ceased and the 0011- ditions are normal. Such devices, working in pulsating fashion, require moving parts, and this it is one of the principal objects of my invention to avoid.

Other objects will appear herein or be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention consists, broadly, in providing a chamber, having a laterally entering inlet from the radiator for air, water of condensation and steam, with means affording an outlet for the air, water and steam, for maintaining a water level in said chamber in a horizontal plane cutting the inlet in proximity to the highest point thereof, whereby to form a lim ted passage for the admission of air and'steam to the chamber.

The invention further consists in employing, in connection with an inlet and an outlet, a controlling means having for its function to allow the air admitted to said chamber to escape, but automatically to stop the escape of such steam as is admitted to the chamber substantially completely.

top of the shell or chamber, the entrant por-' tion 6 of such can being formed with an 1nternally threaded recess f. The said shell or chamber also has a laterally extending and externally threaded boss 9 formed with a port it. The port it affords the inlet from the radiator for the water of condensation, air and steam. Into the threaded opening 0 is screwed the threaded portion 71 of a nipple j, the top of which lies in a horizontal plane which cuts the port It and approximates the highest point thereof. On the admission of water from the radiator it will be apparent that before it can escape it must accumulate until its level is coincident with the top of the nipple. Into the internally threaded entrant portion 6 of the cap is screwed the cylinder 70, the same depending from the cap and preferably extending downwardly to a level below the port it. This has a small vent is preferably in the upper portion thereof, said vent being small enough so that, while it will freely allow the passage of air, it w1ll prohibit the passage of steam,

owing to condensation forming and acting to clog it.

The radiator Z to which the device is at tached has its last coil extended lower than the remaining coils, as indicated at m, and into the portion at is screwed a bushing a into Which in turn is screwed the nipple 0 whose cone 7) bears against the conical seat 9 of the boss 9, 1" being a coupling screwed on the boss and engaging the cone of the nipple after the manner of an ordinary union.

s is a pipe screwed into the opening 0 of shell a and connected with a suitable vacuum pump 25.

The operation is as follows: On the admission of steam to the system, water of condensation first enters the radiator and is forced through the chamber a by the pressure behind it, aided by the vacuum pump. The flow of water is followed by air, and since a body of water a has been left in the chamber at whose level coincides with the top of the nipple j, and consequently above the lower end of the cylinder/0, the formation of a water-seal prevents the air from flowing down under the cylinder is in the effort to. escape from the chamber a by the nipple j. Hence, it escapes by way of the vent is. Ultimately the flow of air is. followed. by steam, which also, on account of the, formation of the water-seal, seeks to escape by vent is; said vent being, however, restricted, it soon becomes clogged by a globule of condensed steam, so that further escape of the steam automatically ceases, or at leastis materially reduced. Such condensatipn. of the steam. at the vent 7c is of course augmented by the cooling influence of shell a, which isdirectly subject to the cooling influence ofthe atmosphere. The level of the water a in Fig. l is that which would be maintained in chamber a during idle periods; during working periods, the level outside ofcylinderk would at least tend to i be slightly lower than that inside of the same, due to greater pressure outside of than within thecylinder, but since the pull ofthe pump and the pressure in the heating systemare comparatively low and condensation is constantly replenishing, the body of liquid in chamberamore .or less, the diiference in levels outside of and within cylinder 7a is practically so little as to be. inappreciable.

In view of the foregoing it will. be apparcut. that the nipple j'i'n effect forms a barrier. betweenthe inlet to and the outlet from the chamber av which maintains the water level in a plane cuttingthe inlet and: preferably approximating its highest point. Thus, Without regard to theparts 7c and 70, a limited passage for the escape of air and steam is produced at 1), while the water of. condensation is free to escape at all times unobstructed. Byproviding the parts 70 and 70, a. means is, aiforded which. allows the escape of the air but stops the escape of steam immediately such escape begins. If solid substances should tend to clog the vent 70 access to it is readily had by removing the cap and the cylinder attached to it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A relief means for heating systems consisting of a chamber having a laterally enteringinletand means, aifording an outlet from the chamber, for maintaining the level of the waterof condensation in said chamber in a horizontal plane cutting the inlet and in relatively close proximity to the highest point of the inlet, substantially as described.

2. A. relief means for heating systems consisting of a chamber having abarrier extending upwardly from a relatively underlying portion of said chamber, a constantly open outlet on one side of saidbarrier and a laterally entering inlet on the other side of said barrier, the top of the barrier lying in a horizontal plane cutting the inlet in relatively close proximity to the highest point of the inlet, substantially as described.

3. A relief means for heating-systems consisting of a chamber having an; inlet and an outlet, in combination with a water-sealforming means, disposed relatively between the inlet and the outlet, for controlling the passage of air and steam to the outlet, said outlet being constantly open and disposed I at a level approximating the highest point of the inlet, substantially as describedr T 7 4t. A relief meansfor heating systems consisting of'a chamber having an inlet and an outlet, in combination with a water seal forming means, disposed relatively between the inlet and outlet, for controlling the passage of air and steam to the outlet, said outlet being constantly open and disposed at a level approximating the highestpoint of the inlet and said water seal forming means having a restricted opening above said level, substantially as described. 4

A relief means for heating systems consisting of a closed chamber having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet being disposed at a level approximating the highest point of the inlet, in combination with a cylinder carried by and depending from the top of said chamber and having its lower end projecting below the entrance to the outlet and thereby adapted to form a water-seal, said cylinder having a restricted opening above the'horizontal plane occupied by the entrance to the outlet, substantially as described.

(S.- A relief means for heating systems consisting of a closed chamber having-an inlet and an outlet, in combination with a cylinder vertically arranged within said'chamher and having its lower end projecting'below the entrance to the outlet and thereby adapted to form a water-seal, said cylinder having a restricted opening abovethe hori Zontal plane occupied by the entrance to the outlet and said out-let being constantly open and disposed at a level approximating the highest point of the inlet, substantially as described. I

7. A relief means for heating systems comprising, in combination, a closed chamher having a removable cap forming its top said cylinder having a restricted opening portion and also having a lateral inlet, a above the horizontal plane occupied by said nipple forming the outlet from said chamber and projecting upwardly into said chamber from an underlying portion thereof and hav ing the entrance to the outlet formed thereby disposed at a level approximating the highest point of the inlet, and a cylinder depending from said cap and having its lower end surrounding, and extending below the horizontal plane of, the entrance to said outlet,

entrance, substantially as described.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing I 15.

have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of April, 1909.

AUGUSTUS MOWELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, VALTER R. HUDSON. 

